Linda Fields
Office
Running for State Senate, Pennsylvania, District 24 (2018)
Biography
Linda Fields has lived her life with a defining purpose: to serve others and to fight for what is right. She has fought for the disenfranchised and underserved her entire life. She strives to speak up for the voiceless.
She has worked for the last 28 years as a National Organizer & Business Agent for the National Union of Hospital and Healthcare Employees, District 1199C, AFSCME, AFL-CIO. She has personally negotiated hundreds of employee contracts and served as mediator for many grievances over the years. She has successfully obtained higher and fairer wages, employee benefits and workers’ rights for hospital workers for some of the largest hospital chains in Pennsylvania.
From a young age, she volunteered for several charitable organizations in her community and in her church helping the at-risk youth, the elderly, grieving families, and the impoverished. She is also a heart health advocate after losing so many in her family to heart disease. She formed her own non-profit called Circle of Life (formerly Heart to Heart Weekend of Life) to raise money and awareness for heart disease research.
Her experience as a negotiator, mediator, labor relations expert, and community advocate bring over 35 years of advocacy, love, compassion, and compromise. She has a unique ability to connect with people and build collaborative partnerships with common goals.
As a longtime political activist and field organizer, she has worked on both labor and Democratic campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels. She recently served as an elected delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She is currently running as the Democratic Nominee for the Pennsylvania State Senate in the 24th District in Montgomery, Bucks and Berks Counties.
For the past 20 years, She and her family have called Montgomery County home. She has been happily married for 42 years to her husband Charles. They share 3 adult children and 8 grandchildren.
Source: Fields for Senate
Priorities
Ensuring Affordable, Quality Healthcare for All
Linda believes that healthcare is a right and not a privilege. Every Pennsylvanian has a right to be able to access affordable, quality healthcare. She supports protecting the Affordable Care Act and the pre-existing conditions mandate. Linda supports legislation that guarantees access to healthcare for all Pennsylvanians. She also supports expanding supplemental programs that provide crucial healthcare to children --like CHIP, and to seniors and veterans. Our people are our greatest resource and we must have a healthcare system that provides appropriate medical care without bankrupting them. Pennsylvanians should not have to make the difficult choice between providing healthcare for their families or paying for food and shelter. Access to healthcare for all Pennsylvanians will help close income disparity across our state.
Improving Public Education
Linda believes education is the bedrock of opportunity for our children. A student’s social or economic background or zip code should not be the determining factor for a quality education in Pennsylvania. Linda will work to ensure all students and teachers receive adequate funding for Pre-K thru 12th grade, college, and vocational training. Linda supports Fair Funding PA, which is a coalition working to ensure all school funding across Pennsylvania is fair, adequate and sustainable. Pennsylvania needs new revenue streams to fund education such as a severance tax on natural gas extraction. Linda supports initiatives for more affordable college tuition and free college tuition for qualifying Pennsylvanians at state colleges and universities. Linda also supports increased focus on early education programs and vocational programs.
Fighting the Opioid Epidemic
Linda believes we must fight the opioid epidemic with compassion and adequate resources. Our family members and neighbors are dying from these highly dangerous, addictive drugs: we must act now. In 2017, over 5,000 Pennsylvanians overdosed from opioids including heroin, fentanyl and oxycontin. The opioid crisis has affected every county and every community across Pennsylvania. This deadly disease does not discriminate and should not be a partisan issue. Linda believes we must fight together against the opioid crisis with increased funding for treatment and education programs. We need tougher punishment for the criminals and industries that profit from the sale and exploitation of opioids. Linda also supports increased funding for understaffed state and local police departments that are tasked with patrolling our counties to keep communities safe from crimes connected to the opioid crisis.
Fixing Our Ailing Infrastructure
Linda supports fixing our region’s ailing infrastructure. Our many ailing narrow roads, historic bridges and dated transportation systems need to be fixed, updated and modernized for the safety of our travelers. Infrastructure problems have existed for decades and we must act now with urgency to prevent potential future tragedies. Such large infrastructure projects including extending regional rail service to Pottstown and beyond will also boost our local organized labor force. Modern roadways, airports, railroads and ports will help attract new and existing businesses to our district that will create jobs. Safe and modern infrastructure will help fuel our local economy.
Advancing Women's Rights
Linda remains committed to protecting women’s rights in Pennsylvania. She supports women’s access to safe, quality reproductive healthcare for women as a fundamental right. As a career labor union organizer, Linda staunchly supports equal pay for equal work and raising the minimum wage in Pennsylvania; she will also fight against workplace discrimination based on gender and work to close the gender pay gap. Linda supports tougher laws to combat sexual harassment and sexual assault as well as more resources to make it easier for women to report these criminal acts in the workplace or at home. She will ensure that students in our schools and colleges are protected from sexual harassment and have a safe and effective way to report incidents.
Preserving Our Environment for Future Generations
Linda supports protecting our environment, expanding green spaces, and preserving the rights of hunters and fishermen. This includes enforcement of strategic preservation of woods and farmland, and more public trails, parks, and wildlife sanctuaries and not uncontrolled development. Linda believes access to clean air and clean drinking water is a right and not a privilege. The Commonwealth must prevent fracking and gas pipelines from polluting our surface and groundwater. Our district has many rivers, streams and waterways that need to be protected from pollution. It’s our collective responsibility to “Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.” Linda supports initiatives that will keep our air and drinking water clean and free from harmful pollutants. She opposes the exploitation of our natural resources to the detriment of Pennsylvanians.
Source: Fields for Senate.com
Linda Fields
...
Office
Running for State Senate, Pennsylvania, District 24 (2018)
Biography
Linda Fields has lived her life with a defining purpose: to serve others and to fight for what is right. She has fought for the disenfranchised and underserved her entire life. She strives to speak up for the voiceless.
She has worked for the last 28 years as a National Organizer & Business Agent for the National Union of Hospital and Healthcare Employees, District 1199C, AFSCME, AFL-CIO. She has personally negotiated hundreds of employee contracts and served as mediator for many grievances over the years. She has successfully obtained higher and fairer wages, employee benefits and workers’ rights for hospital workers for some of the largest hospital chains in Pennsylvania.
From a young age, she volunteered for several charitable organizations in her community and in her church helping the at-risk youth, the elderly, grieving families, and the impoverished. She is also a heart health advocate after losing so many in her family to heart disease. She formed her own non-profit called Circle of Life (formerly Heart to Heart Weekend of Life) to raise money and awareness for heart disease research.
Her experience as a negotiator, mediator, labor relations expert, and community advocate bring over 35 years of advocacy, love, compassion, and compromise. She has a unique ability to connect with people and build collaborative partnerships with common goals.
As a longtime political activist and field organizer, she has worked on both labor and Democratic campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels. She recently served as an elected delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She is currently running as the Democratic Nominee for the Pennsylvania State Senate in the 24th District in Montgomery, Bucks and Berks Counties.
For the past 20 years, She and her family have called Montgomery County home. She has been happily married for 42 years to her husband Charles. They share 3 adult children and 8 grandchildren.
Source: Fields for Senate
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Priorities
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